Why We Keep Pumping Iron

This article might not reveal the “secret”. Or, it might need no explanation to you. But one thing is for sure: you MUST forward this article to everyone because, the majority of people have no clue what is so good about weight training. Even though...

Even though it has several benefits, not only for the personality (not in each case, however...) but for health and, of course, for the physique as well. Now we’ll highlight a few of these. Should anything else occur to you guys, do not hesitate to add it in a comment below.

Fighter spirit

As we keep saying, bodybuilding is not for little girls. And this is not meant to discriminate women but whining human creatures, regardless of gender. In our community, those who do nothing else but pecs and biceps all the time and only go to the gym to show off and make some noise but cannot achieve anything (no matter how much sh*t they inject into themselves), are not considered bodybuilders or even sportsmen.

We are talking about those who fight a heavy battle against the weights (and themselves) day by day, to become better and better. Whether your goal is a competition or just a muscular physique, attitude is all that matters. And this requires a fighter spirit. If you are serious about pursuing this sport, you either learn to fight, or you fail. And, the bonus is: you can make use of this fighting spirit at any other field of your life!

Confidence

Although your confidence should not solely depend on your physique, it cannot be denied that developing an aesthetic physique from a skeleton or an overweight body will boost your confidence a great deal. There are two reasons for that: first, it’s the way you look. And second – what is more important – because you know that you’ve made it. And it is a good thing to be proud of any change you achieved in your physique. Don’t be ashamed about it! Why? Because no one can ever take it from you. This is something You’ve made! And, from a certain aspect, this makes you more than an average person.

Health

Exercising is healthy. I guess you all know that. However, weight training boasts benefits only a few other sports share. One of these is its positive impact on insulin resistance. There is virtually no other sport that can improve the insulin sensitivity of muscles the way weight training does. Sadly, most of the average people have prejudices towards weight training, so it is quite difficult to persuade them to choose this kind of exercise. And they have no idea what they are missing. If you happen to have type 2 diabetes and your joints can take it, you can do a lot for your health by lifting weights smartly.

A well-trained and toned musculature will rev up your metabolism, which will lower the risk of obesity. Only a few people know that weight training can rev up metabolism like hell. And, since it helps you keep your muscle mass while you are on a diet, there is simply no better choice if you want to lose weight or get fit. (Remember: the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism will be!) Yes, you’ve heard it right: if you want to lose weight, you are most likely better off with weight training than with aerobic workout without weight training.

Physique

Depending on the type of workout, weight training can have a positive effect both on strength and stamina. I guess there is nothing surprising about strength gains. However, there are types of weight training which can significantly improve your stamina as well. Some open-minded coaches in other sports have also recognized this, so they complement the basic training regime for the given sport with additional weight training. In other countries this has been going on as a best practice for many-many years.

Nutrition

If you are persistent and constantly strive for better results, you’ll need to address nutrition sooner or later. There is no other sport in which it is so inescapable. If your diet sucks, you are most likely doomed to failure in this sport. I know: there will be a host of comments below this article, about friends of friends who got muscular from mac and cheese. Yes, there are always a few extreme cases, and there will always be. However, building muscle is hard work for the vast majority of people, EVEN if they eat clean. While in other sports you may get away eating, say, corn dogs and peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches, here you have to be extra cautious about the proportions, the quantity and the quality of your macros. By the way, athletes in other sports could also benefit a lot if they took this issue just as seriously as we do. Because even small changes can skyrocket performance. On the other hand, in the case of bodybuilding, any dietary shortcoming will strike the eye immediately, day by day.

The bodybuilding diet is basically eating healthy. It might contain somewhat more meat than what an average person needs. But enhanced protein intake is necessary for weight training (and other strength-based sports). By the way, this protein intake is not so much higher than average, especially if we compare it to the excess carbohydrate intake of the average Western diet. Now let’s see what does a conscientious bodybuilder eat. Complex carbohydrates, loads of veggies, essential fatty acids and some fruit. Protein comes from lean and healthy sources. Or, if he consumes some fatty bites every now and then, he knows how to reduce carbs accordingly to balance small deviations like that. He refrains from sugar and flour. And let us not forget about sufficient water consumption, which is also essential for every athlete.

Through this sport you can learn how your body works. And you can make use of this knowledge later when (God forbid), you do not work out for some reason, still you don’t want to grow a muffin top, as many guys and gals do in their 30s (and even more in their 40s).

The bottom line is...

Something you can only learn from experience... That nothing compares to the feeling weight training gives you! When you are feeling each of your muscles getting pumped up more and more... When you are starting to fatigue, but the fire within is still burning... When you see your development... When you realize that your body is a toy you can shape as you like (or let it deteriorate, if you opt for the couch instead...) When you realize that if you have achieved something once, you can get there again any time later, even if life tears you apart from the gym for a while...

When you feel complete, strong and healthy... Each of your muscles is toned, even without you flexing them... And, last but not least, the girls (or the guys, if you are a girl) look at you with awe (or disgust – but don’t worry, this only comes from jealousy :D)...

You’ll know it was worth it, despite all the sacrifice you had to make!